The Poole lifeboat service has helped to rescued four people on board a stricken 42-foot yacht which lost power to its engine and had steering failure. The rescue happened just 4 miles west of the Needles off the Isle of Wight. The boat had been sailing from Gosport to Plymouth.

RNLI crews were called in by the Portland Coastguard at about 8am on Saturday 11th May. The conditions were moderate to rough with winds south westerly 5 - 6.

The Poole inshore and all-weather lifeboats were both called to the scene.

Volunteers were transferred to the yacht to trying to recover the anchor and rig up emergency steering. However they were unable to restore power, and because of the rough conditions the Yarmouth coastguard was also called on to come out and tow the yacht to Yarmouth.

'Conditions out there were definitely challenging, mindful of the individuals on-board and the worsening conditions, we decided to cut the anchor and get immediately under tow, back to safety'.